


A Kiss of Life: Path to Mortality

by Konwaliawrites



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Demigod AU strikes again, Exactly like last time anyway, Genderfluid Silver errybody, I will still mix fluff and horrible angst please do forgive me, Immortality is not a good thing in this fic, M/M, Non-binary Sticks, planned out to the end, you don’t have to read a kiss of life to read the sequel but it’s definitely recommended
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27140368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Konwaliawrites/pseuds/Konwaliawrites
Summary: It’s not just love that makes one’s world go round. Both Sonic and Shadow know it very well. For the sake of their friends and themselves, they embark on an adventure to find a way to end the vicious cycle of immortality.
Relationships: Shadow the Hedgehog/Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 4
Kudos: 47





	1. The never-ending flow

**Author's Note:**

> Psst! When you have the time, check out this sweet art Ehuante made for this fic <3  
> https://twitter.com/emilyhuante/status/1316351187822796800?s=21

The heat haze of summer had hit Christmas Island at last. Pulsing waves of hot air were difficult for a lot of mobians to handle, and that included hedgehogs; even though most of their fur was shed during the springtime, there still was a lot to be desired about their current situation. In these moments, Sonic kind of envied humans, even though he knew perfectly well that he wouldn’t trade his speed for anything in the world, and certainly not for a couple months of peace per year. 

Plus, the sunshine caress seeping through was almost soothing enough to make him forget what today even was. Monday, dreadful Monday. 

Mondays weren’t exactly a favorite day of the week for a lot of people, and the blue speedster was no exception to this rule. 

The only ‘good’ part about this particular Monday was the fact that he for once wasn’t assigned to a morning shift, meaning he could sleep in a little bit. Blue lids closed back up, his mind still clutching to the honeycomb-sweet embrace of the weekend, as well as to the fur of his beloved. Sonic smiled blissfully as he ran his fingers through the silky obsidian fur. This sensation was so innocent, so beautiful that it made his soul feel free like the wind, light as bumblebee wings. He opened his eyes to admire the beauty of the hedgehog that lay beside him on the bed — well, maybe ‘admire’ wasn’t the best way to put it after all; Shadow’s face looked a little silly, if not laughable. His brows were furrowed in frustration, yet his mouth was open agape. Every once in a while, hot puffs of air were released through his lover’s nose. He would’ve teased his boyfriend about it, if not the fact that Sonic most probably looked equally ridiculous while asleep.

“You dork,” The blue hedgehog breathed out softly and pecked the other’s nose, “Good morning.”

He had said that, but the sound apparently wasn’t loud enough to reach Shadow’s mind. The older hedgehog slept the sleep of the dead. Finally. The dark mobian used to be so skittish the first couple of times they fell asleep together, waking both of them in the middle of the night over an unfamiliar sound or smell. At those nights, there was a strict pattern to be followed — first, he would hold Shadow’s shivering form close, trying to soothe him to the best of his abilities. Then, they would check the fire detectors placed around the house together, proving there is no danger nearby. Repeat the steps as much as needed until his lover had calmed down.

It took a lot of time, patience, and practice, but eventually the demigod eased down and night by night, the abrupt awakenings ceased. It was still rare for Shadow to be in such a deep sleep though, so Sonic cherished it each time it happened. 

But even though these moments were precious, the selfish side of Sonic knew Shadow was much more fun when awake. 

“Shads…” Sonic said happily, louder this time, “Morning, sleepyhead…”

He planted warm kisses along his tan muzzle until he felt the other shift and wake.

“Huh, wha…” Shadow’s voice was raspy, a little rough. The blue hedgehog chuckled at that and pecked his loved one on the lips, ignoring their morning breaths.

“Hey there, sleeping beauty. We should get up, have breakfast and all that. Silv’s gonna call us soon.”

“Nnn…” Shadow groaned in misery and held the blue hedgehog closer. Sonic blushed at how much hotter it made him feel. They got over the part where they would overheat when together under one blanket, and now there was just this hot feeling that spread blush on his pale muzzle….

The blue speedster chuckled and pushed at the demigod’s torso.

“Come on, dark and handsome! You look even more ridiculous with that frown when asleep, I thought I’d die laughing looking at you!”

Shadow smirked at that. That typical smirk that formed on the demigod’s face only when plotting something nasty, exposing one of the fangs of his upper jaw, smile curling up in the most playful of ways. _What… is he thinking..._

“ _That_ would make you die laughing? I doubt that. I know what would, though.”

Then dark hands started moving from his hips up and Sonic had a pretty good idea where this was going. Jade eyes widened at the realization. _Hoo boy..._

“Oh no, no no no…” His warm tenor said hastily, “You can’t be implying what I think you’re implying…” 

The dark smile on the striped mobian’s face only stretched wider though. Gloveless black-furred hands stroked his boyfriend’s sides which shook in goosebumps at the feathery touches.

“Oh yes, Sonic. Exactly that.”

Then he pressed at the sensitive, ticklish skin at the blue hedgehog’s side. Hard and repeatedly, tickling the blue hedgehog in a merciless manner, always finding a way to reach Sonic’s weak spots despite his lover thrashing around, trying to break free from his hold. The blanket above them was folding and unfolding as the two played around, eventually rolling the cloth off the bed, though both mobians hardly paid any attention to that.

“You—! Ahahaha!” The pale hedgehog laughed and shouted openly, not caring how loud he was being. He pushed at Shadow’s hands, trying to pry them off.

“That’s a—” His sentence was broken by another set of laughs, “—A low blow, you grandpa!” Sonic hit the other’s shoulder uselessly, as there was little to no pressure in his punch at all.

Luckily, it seemed that Shadow did have some respect for how much tickling and yelling Sonic’s body could actually take, as he stopped when the overstimulation was coming close to Sonic’s boundaries. They shared yet another kiss afterward, this time deeper and sweeter. 

“Jerk.” Sonic commented after pulling away, not really serious with that remark. And Shadow knew it, too.

“I love you, too.”

Suddenly, there was a knock on their bedroom door. Right, Silver.

“Guys! If you’re done being gay over there, can you come down for breakfast?” Silver’s voice breaking the mood caused yet another fit of chuckles from the two hedgehogs. Still, they got up and obediently went downstairs. Their morning smelled like lavender and safety.

It wasn’t all that hard for Shadow to realize that his life was so different now, more vivid. The two hedgehogs had only been together for a year and a half, but so many new, wonderful sensations were engraved into his memory. The darker hedgehog pondered the thought for a while. _Is life really that different? Or am I just coming back to the old, long lost pattern?_

He knew this sense of serenity; he spent hundreds of years wishing to have it back. But now that he finally did, something about it still threw him off guard. Just how easy could it be to welcome the morning breeze everyday? _I guess years of loneliness had to take their toll…_

Besides, it wasn’t like Shadow remembered everything from his previous life with every little detail, either. Sure, many memories were sharp, painful and very clear, but some parts were either missing, or a bit blurry, yet still at the back of his mind. Some of the everyday kindness had to be rediscovered by him, and accepting that was a bit annoying for the demigod.

He took a bite of his waffle, feeling grateful that today was Silver’s turn to make breakfast. When it came to preparing food, no one could beat her in the entire household. Still, the albino hedgehog wasn’t the one to complain about the food— even when she disliked something, she usually didn’t let it show.

“So,” Silver spoke to Sonic, breaking the silence, “Today’s the day, huh? And you’re sure you want to do this?”

The temperature in the air dropped a few degrees with these words, somehow. The atmosphere thickened, too. Sonic swallowed and took a deep breath. He looked conflicted.

“Yeah. It’s the only way I can take care of this matter full time. Besides, if I ever change my mind, I’m sure Sal would take me back. Not gonna lie, I will miss them all, they’re a great team, but…” The azure hedgehog looked into golden eyes with sincerity and determination. “I have to do this.”

Shadow wasn’t sure how to comment on this situation, so he didn’t. Sonic’s decision flattered him, but it also made him feel guilty. He knew how much the blue speedster loved his job; they had talked about this topic over and over multiple times and the young cop’s decision remained the same. If they were to find a way to get rid of their immortality, they had to do it full time. They had to go out there, make sure they try absolutely everything. And who knows how long that will take?

The blue hedgehog promised to put an end to this vicious cycle, and he meant it; sometimes, when Shadow woke up at night, it was to the sound of Sonic flipping through pages of yet another book he had either borrowed from the nearby library or ordered online. Some myths included in the collected literature turned out to be true, but not quite leading them to the expected results. Most of what was written in books didn’t bring any change to their miserable situation. No magic potions worked, or ridiculous sage rituals under the full moon. Nothing.

It was frustrating for Sonic, especially given the fact he was never an occult type of guy; sure, there might have been some fascination in the blue hedgehog at how some people seem to create great things with magic, but that just wasn’t his cup of tea. And now it had to be, because his and his beloved one’s lives depended on it.

Shadow wasn’t blind, he saw the other’s inner conflict — each time yet another idea failed to bring them mortality, each time their wounds closed back up immediately after appearing, something in those brilliant green eyes darkened with sadness. Yet the blue hedgehog never gave up, and he refused to let Shadow beat himself up over it. Just how much positive energy did the other have stored up inside? It never ceased to surprise the dark demigod. Sonic was definitely one of the most extraordinary individuals Shadow has ever known.

After their breakfast was over, the striped hedgehog pecked Sonic on the cheek, wished him luck at work and went back to the living room. He gathered the now empty breakfast dishes and put them neatly in the dishwasher, ignoring the soft clanks of the plates whenever they brushed each other.

“I hope he’s going to be okay…” He spoke to Silver, who was still present in the room. She walked up to Shadow and placed her hand on the dark furred shoulder.

“Of course he is. Also — it’s not your fault.”

Dark lids slid closed. It was so hard to believe, but Sonic wanted him to believe that, too. He had to play his part.

“Thank you.”

Not too long after, the blue hedgehog arrived at the precinct. After making sure his uniform was on neatly, he swiped his card to unlock the door and walk in.

“Heyyy, party people!”

Well, more like barge in. But his coworkers were already used to that.

“Hi, Big!”

Once the cat realized he was being spoken to, he raised his head from the papers. Very. Slowly. Sonic was nearly done counting to ten when the other finally replied:

“Hello.. Sonic.”

He high fived the mobian and the cat went back to his paperwork and well, petting his frog. Sonic still couldn’t figure out how he managed to get permission to bring a pet inside, but that wasn’t really his main focus right now.

Tom and Nicole waved at him from their desks. Amy pretended not to hear him as usual, though she rolled her eyes at his childish behavior so that kind of gave her away in the blue hedgehog’s opinion. Sticks, however, was a different story.

“Oh, hi!” They got up from their desk, walked up to Sonic and high fived him.

“Hi Sticks! Anything urgent happening today?”

“Nah, the duck stole a bagel.” They answered, flipping some of the report pages located on their desk, “Maybe Cap’n got something new for you, though.”

Sonic’s stomach turned. Right. The captain. He had to—

“Sonic the Hedgehog!” Came the yell from his superior’s room. That didn’t sound good. The blue mobian’s nervous smile said more than a thousand words.

“Oof. Good luck, Sonic.”

“Thanks, Sticks….”

He went inside the office, and was greeted with the usual sight: bookcases sorted out neatly, color arranged, the dark wood desk with a rainbow flag on it, and captain Sally Acorn sitting in front of her desk with a no-nonsense look on her face. The navy blue uniform she wore was ironed perfectly, adorned with an impressive amount of badges. 

“Yeah, Captain?”

“Sit down. Take a look at these pictures,” She gestured at the chair at the other end of the desk and Sonic sat down as requested. Then, the squirrel pulled out of her desk locker two printed A4 pictures of… well, pure mess. Some garbage perhaps, if the blue hedgehog were to guess. She held both pictures up for Sonic to be able to inspect them without much of an issue. The photos showed a horde of empty candy wrappers, brown banana peels, and much more trash Sonic didn’t feel like focusing too much on.

“One is your locker, the other is a garbage dump in Adabat. Can you tell which is which?” Her face didn’t betray any emotions. It was a clear message to Sonic that she was not going to give the answer away that easily.

“Uhh…” Sonic scratched his ear, then bashfully pointed out to the picture in her right hand, “That one’s the dump?”

“They’re _both_ your locker.”

“Dang, I should’ve guessed that,” The blue speedster pumped his fist in frustration, “Trick question, very much your style.”

Sally only smirked at that, savoring her victory.

“Indeed. I expect you to have that cleaned up by the end of today. Because of your messed up reports, Big mislabeled the evidence the other day. We can’t have that happening.”

Sonic gave her a flat stare. Was she seriously calling him out for that? But...

“Big constantly mislabels the evidence, whether I help with that or not.”

_She can’t argue with that logic, right?_

“He makes good coffee, though. You don’t.”

_Okay, that’s just rubbing it in, Sal._

“Alright alright Cap, point taken. My desk will be squeaky clean.” Sonic said while rolling his eyes. So what if he was a bit messy? He was still one of the best detectives around… that’s what mattered most, right? Keeping the island safe was more important than some garbage on his desk.

“Dismissed.”

Sonic was already outside the office when he heard Sally speak up once more.

“ _And_ you’re three minutes late! Seriously, Sonic?!”

“My clock battery died!” Sonic yelled back equally loudly, almost missing the way the pink hedgehog to his left chuckled at his response. Almost. He turned around, now facing the direction from which the high pitched noise came.

“Well, some of us use phones for that like, you know, civilized people.” She didn’t even look up from the horde of reports on her own desk, just brushed away some hair strands and flipped another page. Right, his rivalry with Amy was never going to end, was it. She might be a little uptight in her behavior, but she was just downright perfect in everything she did at work; each year, both him and the pink hedgehog fought for the amount of solved cases, and it was never certain who was going to get the glory each time, which was why the precinct placed their bets when summary reports came along. She was the total opposite of Sonic’s laid back personality, but she was still a worthy opponent when it came to the Detective of the Year title.

Sonic sighed internally. He’s definitely going to miss this.

“Yeah, yeah…” The blue hedgehog scratched his head and got to work. There’s a lot of cleaning up to do. _Oh, is this donut still edible?_

Whilst Sonic was taking care of issues at work, Shadow decided to pass his time in a more… creative manner.

Lately, the thoughts of guilt would not stop clawing at his skin. Every single spark of sadness in emerald orbs, every exaggerated sigh Sonic let out and every hopeless punch at the wall when the younger hedgehog thought Shadow was sound asleep… he felt responsible for it.

_“Say, when was the last time you went out to take pictures?” Silver asked, pale hand resting on a dark shoulder in a comforting manner. Shadow frowned and looked away._

_“It… has been a while.”_

Walking up the hill, Shadow clutched his tripod a little bit harder. He had to at least _try_ to let go of overthinking. Wasting energy on pointless feelings will not help either of them. Taking a deep breath proved to be cleansing and with step after step, his thoughts became lighter. Willing himself to redirect his focus to the jungle vines slowly lacing around the tree barks proved to be quite an effective way to lose his track of thoughts. Once, twice the dark hedgehog’s mind desperately tried to pull him back into the darkness, but he pushed it away; 

_We will find a way. Sonic promised._

A small smile formed itself on the tall muzzle upon examining the camera held in his hands. Right. What was important now first and foremost, was the world around him. 

The world he could capture and control.

The viridian grass beneath his feet carpeted the woodland area. Barks of the chestnut trees lazily pent upward, each of their veins tangling together and eventually reaching the spiraled branches. The canopies seemed tall enough to touch the light of Solaris themselves as they stood tall, as if with pride.

_Children of White Seed, although still very young, worked so hard to keep the balance of nature proud and strong, despite their goddess and mother being gone._

From afar, Shadow could see the bushes and trees stand aside to let in the warmth of the sun, creating something akin to a cliffside entrance. It was as if nature itself was pulling the striped mobian in that direction, calling…

It was a feeling he definitely had to keep. He placed his backpack down on the forest floor, unfolded a tripod and placed his camera on top of it. 

One swift click followed a dozen more, causing a wide smile to bloom on the tan muzzle. Emerald hues licked by a sweet orange and gold danced before Shadow’s eyes. He took his time experimenting with the angles, testing the perspective, determining which part of the environment deserves the most spotlight. 

At some point, a rustling sound caused him to turn around to notice a power chao, the yellow streaks on its head and palms telling the demigod it was probably still a baby. Its tiny nostrils flared a tiny bit, possibly smelling a snack that was hidden inside the backpack’s pocket it was trying to open. 

When their eyes met, the little creature shrieked in panic before trying to hide behind the bag. The dark hedgehog gave it a lopsided grin before sitting down.

“It’s okay, you can have it.” He reassured the little creature. His warm baritone, albeit laced with underlying roughness caused a hopeful look to form on the baby chao’s face. And when the gloved palm offered the tiny apple that was hidden, it wasted no time dowsing on the juicy treat.

This moment of serenity was disturbed, however, when the two noticed a black aura creeping up on them from behind Shadow. The power chao let out a terrified squeak, shivering in fear upon noticing that snakes started crawling out of the darkness, slithering toward them among the grass strands. 

Shadow showed no fear, however. He held the horrified creature close to his chest, cooing reassuring words. His other hand reached out to the creeping vermins and as expected, the disturbing mirage disappeared upon touching. He turned around to be met with the sight of an already familiar jackal. 

“Why am I not surprised,” the demigod of life said dryly, “cheap tricks and unnecessary scaring tactics are still your signature move.”

The mask on the other demigod’s face prevented Shadow from knowing what expression these words could possibly form on the pale muzzle underneath.

“There is nothing cheap about embracing your privilege,” Infinite spoke bitterly, voice distorted, layered with what sounded like a thousand screams; while all of this was too familiar for the dark hedgehog to be disturbed in any way, the little creature in his arms let out a desperate wail. He stroked it gently, hiding its face in his chest fur. Its trembling ceased down somewhat at the ministries.

Furious ruby glared daggers at the mobian hovering above him.

“Cut to the chase. Why are you here? Christmas Island is way beyond your borders and I’m sure Yama does not need your aid.”

Infinite scowled and stepped down on the grass. Each move of his feet caused the grass around them to grow bleak as life seeped out of the plants the demigod of death touched. He walked up closer to Shadow, causing the little chao to clutch the dark hedgehog’s chest fur tighter.

“You broke the cycle of life. That mortal’s soul was _ours_ to take.”

The striped mobian chuckled, not at all fazed by the other’s words.

“Why do you care? Again —not your region, Infinite. Someone really goes out of their way to prove themselves to Anubis, hm?”

The jackal’s body trembled with fury. The white locks on the canine’s body floated around, morphing into pale snakes. They danced in the air, hissing in response to Infinite’s emotions.

“Anubis chose _me_ as his rightful heir!” He screamed in rage, “I have nothing to prove to anyone, much less to a sewer rat like you. This is exactly why demigods of life have no right to exist. You disturb the natural flow.”

“If my actions caused a disturbance to the natural flow, Solaris would not grant me such abilities.” Shadow admitted calmly with a shrug. “Though for your information, the current situation does not please us either. We are currently looking for a way to undo it.”

A low chuckle left the jackal. Of course he would be amused by this situation. Not a single slip up of Shadow’s could go without Infinite rubbing it in his face.

“Such a reckless move, Shadow. What happened to you? You’re even weaker than I remember. Love surely did not cloud your logical judgement, am I right?”

Shadow’s glare was sharper than a falcon’s claws, colder than Holoskan nights. His next words were going to be a low blow, but he didn’t care.

“As opposed to _your_ logical judgement, because of which a certain red wolf is not among us anymore?”

He was fully prepared for the upcoming burst of dark energy targeted his way. One swift jump was all it took to avoid Infinite’s attack.

“ _He held me back!!”_

The horrible bloodlust scream of the grieving jackal shook the trees around them. The ground shivered beneath Shadow’s feet. Infinite panted in exhaustion, the white snakes slithering behind his head spatting out fuchsia venom.

“Thank your lucky stars my powers are weakened outside of my region, Shadow.” The grim demigod spat bitterly. 

“But it won’t last forever. The beauty of it all is that you will hand yourself to me on a silver platter. Wanna know why? I’ll let you in on a little secret.” 

Coral eyes widened. _What was he talking about?_

“The key to ending your mortality lies inside Valley of the Kings. However, once you step a foot in Shamar I will watch. Your. Every. Step. You’ll be dead before you even reach the altar.” 

He didn’t give Shadow a chance to reply to his words. Instead, he summoned shadows that formed a portal. Stepping halfway in, he looked at the striped hedgehog once more.

“Tackle me at my full power, if you dare.”

One more step, and the dark jackal was gone.

Shadow released a breath he had no idea he had been holding. He walked up close to the only trace that was left of Infinite having been here —grayed out strands of grass. He sat the baby chao down and pet its tiny head. At last, it seemed to calm down somewhat.

“There is one thing you underestimate, Infinite.” Shadow murmured and closed his eyes, concentrating the chaos energy within himself.

His gloved hand hovered above the deceased plant. Slowly, the bleak gray flourished into rich green; the joy of life began to flow through the forest veins once more. A single waxvine flower grew amongst the grass, white and rosy petals twisting gracefully. The tiny red creature jumped happily upon seeing the full bloom.

“Life will always find a way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! Missed me? :D


	2. Ad infinitum

“Please, do tell me this is some horrible prank of yours,” Sally started, staring at the paper laid on her desk in disbelief, “If it’s about that garbage joke—”

“No, not at all,” Sonic cut her off and looked away bashfully. Those blue eyes were way too intense as they stared at him, trying to solve the mystery on their own.

“Then why? I can’t say I saw this coming.” 

_Oh, you know, I became immortal and I would like to save my two hundred year old demigod boyfriend from watching everyone die over and over._

“Well?” the Captain asked once again, prying Sonic away from his thoughts.

“Well, it’s uh,” Sonic scratched his ear and looked at the ground. Suddenly, the pattern on the old black and white tiles were so interesting, “Would you believe me if I said I needed some time to myself?”

“You could take a vacation, so no,” Sally frowned. _Could she please stop trying to read my body language?_ “Do you want me to keep guessing? Money, work conditions, overworking?”

“No, none of these. I just… I can’t tell you everything.”

Her frown turned into a full on glare.

“Is it something illegal? Have you been blackmailed?”

“No!” Sonic interjected, surprised how could this morph into such a terrible misunderstanding so fast.

“This is way too emotional of a reaction for me to believe that it’s not true. Who was it? We would help you if there was anyone on your tail, you know.”

“Nobody, I promise. I just… I freaked out because I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea, okay?” The squirrel did not seem entirely convinced, but she leaned back on her chair, letting him continue. _Good enough_ , he thought.

“Someone… important to me is in a horrible health condition. I need to visit them, and spend as much time with them as possible.” Sonic looked away again, feeling bashful. He _hated_ lying, but then again… it wasn’t entirely untrue. “I want to help them to the best of my abilities, and, as much as I love this place… I can’t be there for them the way they need to if I can’t take care of them full time.”

Sally squinted her eyes and for a moment, the immortal mobian worried that these words would not be enough to convince her. His worries eased when a smile morphed on the captain’s face.

“I understand. And I want you to know that we will always have a spare spot for you, if you would ever like to come back.”

A happy sigh left Sonic. He couldn’t ask for anything more.

“Thank you, Sal.”

“Anytime. Now, I believe you’ve got places to be, right?” She observed as Sonic nodded, got up from the chair and made his way to the door, “Tell Shadow I wish him well.”

“Wait, wha—“ _How did she?!_

“Now, shoo!” She smirked and waved her hand away. “I got some paperwork to finish.”

Sonic sighed, but complied with his former captain’s wishes. His ears folded back in submission as he stood, perfectly ready to cry. He _loved_ this place. He loved it deeply.

Every single moment of bickering, goofing around, or sometimes even intense moments of emergency were burned deep into his mind and he yearned to experience them again

“Sonic?”

 _Let’s just hope I will,_ he thought, trying to console himself.

“Hey, Sonic, you okay, man?” He felt warmth on his shoulder, breaking him from the strange trance.

“Oh…” Sonic looked up, at last noticing the person before him “Hi, Knux.”

“That’s it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost…” The echidna’s face was full of concern, “Guess it wasn’t as easy as you said it would be.”

“Yeah, I guess…” _I never thought it would be easy. I just didn’t want you to worry._

“Look, I’m not sure how long this is going to take, but it will always be your home. Shit, I’m not good at consoling people,” Sonic chuckled, daring to disagree. That only caused the echidna to be more frustrated though; he began to frown, switching from frustration to concern, “Don’t laugh! I ‘m trying my best here, man.”

“No, I appreciate it. Thanks, Knux.” The blue hedgehog said with a smirk. “Sal said she will welcome me back anytime, so I suppose it’s all just a matter of time until I will be back. I will… really miss everyone, though.”

“Likewise. But if you tell anyone I said that, I’ll make your welcome home party a living hell.”

“Pshht, I am soooo terrified already.”

They parted ways and Sonic made his way to the back door. He wished he had more courage to exit through the front door.

Back home, the dark hedgehog was still awaiting Sonic’s arrival. Coral eyes stayed glued on the laptop screen. His camera was connected to it with a usb cable as well.

“This one could look pretty decent once I edit it…” Shadow said to himself, trailing from one picture to another as he slid the images back and forth, “This one is a lost cause. And this one, too.” he admitted with a frown and pressed the button to roll onto another picture.

“And this — oh.” 

His eyes laid on a picture that presented Infinite himself. The dark jackal’s pose seemed confident, it must have happened somewhere at the start of their encounter.

“Strange, I don’t remember taking such a picture.”

It was a poorly taken one, so he figured he might have accidentally pressed the timer button at some point.

Regardless of the reason, he had proof now for his encounter with Infinite. Should he discuss it with Anubis? Or perhaps deleting it was the best course of action?

In the end, he decided on neither. A swift button combination, and the picture in question was already on its way through the printer.

“Might come in handy,” he murmured, examining the photograph.

It has been a long time since he and the dark jackal last met. The two have never been quite fond of each other, but that wasn’t to say there has been flaming hatred between the two; Shadow never had any intentions to socialize with the land of gods, to keep in touch with them, or to attend any events. Apart from his demigod training with Infinite, there haven’t been many times the two interacted. The striped hedgehog wanted to stay away from the sacred lands, and Infinite wanted to be free of the burden that training Shadow came with.

Then again… Infinite changed since that time. He’s become more bitter, and much more hateful. 

He supposed he could understand the reason for that, even though it was the outcome of the canine’s own actions.

Now every little disturbance was enough to trigger Infinite’s wrath. He doesn’t have anything to lose, except for his status of the future God of Death.

And that… Shadow was convinced Infinite would sacrifice everything for. He already had, after all. The thought made the dark hedgehog frown in disgust.

“You’re one selfish piece of mobian filth.”

His train of thoughts got disrupted when he heard the sound of the front door being unlocked. It took only a second to sense the source of chaos energy, so he wasn’t surprised at all when a moment later, Sonic appeared in the doorway. 

The younger immortal was smiling, but… something felt off. He couldn’t tell if that lack of gleam in jade eyes came from the lack of sufficient light in the hallway, or perhaps from something else.

“Welcome home,” Shadow said, loving how these words felt on his tongue. He could never grow tired of saying them. They tasted sweet and soothed his ears like a song.

This pleasant sensation was not enough to cease his worries, however. Walking up to his loved one, he closed the door and hesitantly reached to touch Sonic’s arm.

Sonic, seeing the hesitation in the other's actions, nodded his approval for the contact. The warmth that bloomed on his shoulder couldn’t possibly be enough to dismiss the sadness he felt, but he appreciated the action nonetheless.

The striped hedgehog wanted to apologize; he could never apologize enough for turning Sonic into… this. The bottomless hourglass. Sonic had friends he could grow old with, a job he loved, and a chance of living like every day could be his last.

And he took it all away.

He knew there was no use in repeating the same words over and over like a broken record; Sonic made it clear he didn’t want his apologies. He made it clear he does not blame Shadow, nor does he feel like Shadow needs to apologize for anything at all.

But if that was the case, why did the dark hedgehog still feel so guilty?

Gently, he took the blue hedgehog into his arms. Truly, something he didn’t feel like he deserved, given what he’s done.

“You will be back. I promise.” He whispered, meaning these words from the bottom of his invulnerable heart. He silently prayed for his voice to not break. 

Sonic hugged him back. Shadow wished he could ignore the way pale fingers trembled when they clutched his fur.

“Yeah,” the younger male replied at last. 

“Any… any new ideas?” Sonic asked, though the tone of his voice wasn’t hopeful.

_Maybe this could help..._

“Actually, yes.” The blue hedgehog pulled away to stare at his partner in disbelief, “I believe we have most of the information we need, in fact.”

Shadow reached into his quills to present Sonic with the recently taken picture of the dark jackal. The bewilderment was clear as day on Sonic’s face.

“Infinite?” He asked, analyzing the photograph in front of him, “And that forest… what’s going on?”

“I spent most of my free time outside today. Photographing. Infinite decided to pay me a little visit. And he certainly did not do it to give me a housewarming gift, as you probably figured.”

Sonic nodded, urging Shadow to continue.

“He told me that there is a place in Shamar we should visit if we want to be free of this…” _curse_ “condition. I am not sure what this entirely means, as he did not specify who or what could be of help exactly. I just received a very cryptic ‘the key to ending your mortality lies inside Valley of the Kings’. I am trying to put the pieces together with the information he gave me.”

“Why would he do that?” The younger pointed out with a frown, “You said it yourself before, he hates your guts. Why would he help? I don’t trust that, Shadow.”

“He can gain from it.” Shadow took a deep breath, contemplating his next words before continuing, “He cannot kill demigods, or immortals. The Golden Rules prevent that. If I became a mortal, however, he would not face any consequences for killing me. Or you, for that matter.”

_Though, given his threat, I wonder how much does he actually care about the rules..._

Blue quills bristled at the newfound information.

“So that means he can go around and kill anyone he wants?” He cried, sincerely hating the information he was given, “even people who did nothing wrong? I didn’t even do anything to him!”

Shadow frowned, recalling his family’s demise. Fate didn’t play favorites; it did not play by any rules, either. If it did, what could Maria and Grandpa possibly have done to deserve a death sentence? 

“Precisely. Death can do anything it wants, Sonic. Death gods and demigods can play the strings of fate any way they deem fit.”

Sonic looked troubled, like he was just told to solve the world’s biggest mystery on his own. “That’s…”

“Disgusting, I know.”

“No. I mean yes, that too, but what I was about to say was ‘lonely’.”

These words took Shadow aback. He did not think of something like that. “Lonely?”

“Well, I can only imagine that, if I was capable of remorselessly killing anyone on the planet and even more so, if I had a long history of doing so and facing no consequences, I doubt many people would like to keep me company.”

Shadow hummed. Sonic was a remarkable individual, often thinking outside the box, but it was still surprising him to see just how much empathy Sonic had to offer. Even to those who certainly did not deserve it. _How do you manage to keep people from taking advantage of your kindness, Sonic?_

“There was someone like that, though.” Shadow said and looked away. His lover’s curious eyes were too much to bear right now, “There was someone who wanted to keep Infinite company despite all that. He was a humble, mortal wolf and he loved Infinite deeply. It was… so odd to me to discover that there, indeed, is a person Infinite cares about. Someone he feels happy with, someone he allows himself to be vulnerable around.”

“That sounds… pretty nice, actually. Everyone needs someone to trust,” Sonic replied with a smile, though it faltered when he pondered Shadow’s word choice, “Well, where is he now, then? Did things not work out between them after all?”

_Oh, Sonic. You have no idea..._

“Infinite killed him.”

Suddenly, the blue hedgehog’s body felt like it was just thrown into an ice cold ocean.

“Wait, what?!” Sonic snapped, not believing these words, “But… he loved him! And from what you are saying, these feelings were mutual! How could he… has he no heart?!”

“It is not up to me to decide just how important Gadget was to him, but I do know that there was always something more important to Infinite than anything or anyone else, including himself. It was power. All his existence, he has been working hard to become the next God of Death when Anubis declared he was ready to pass on his status. One time, when I was nearly done with my training, Gadget stormed into the Valley of the Kings.”

_“Hey, Infinite!” The red wolf exclaimed eagerly, head peeking past one of the pillars located on the altar._

_“Gadget?!” Infinite turned his head toward his partner, surprised, “What are you doing here so soon? I’m not done yet!”_

_“That’s okay! I’ll wait.” The young male reassured, pointing to the book he held in his left hand._

“During my training the next day, I witnessed a different conversation. This time, it was between Infinite and Anubis.”

_“Of all mobians you could court, did it have to be a mortal?” The God of Death spoke, the tone of his voice downright bored. Like he was lecturing a child that slipped on the tiles, despite warning them to wear slippers beforehand._

_“I’m pretty sure this will be frowned upon among the gods, but it’s your choice, I suppose.”_

_Heterochromic eyes burned with something… dangerous. The demigod’s posture was defensive, his fists clenched so hard they trembled._

_“I will not let him hold me back from my duty. I promise.”_

“But… that’s preposterous! No one even expected Infinite to go this far.”

“It is true. However, Infinite did worry that this might have an impact on who Anubis will choose as his heir.”

Tears flashed in Sonic’s eyes as he imagined this situation. How betrayed that wolf had to feel right before…

He shook his head, oblivious to a couple quills falling out as he did so.

_No. There is no use thinking about it. Bad guys exist, and I, as a cop, should've known better._

“He’s… absolutely mad. And we’re supposed to waltz right into the jackal’s den?”

Shadow looked uneasy. Sonic had a point. While Infinite had no reason to lie, there is no guarantee that someone this insane could be trusted to follow the Golden Rules. He had proven to be unpredictable.

“I am afraid so, but… this is our guaranteed chance, Sonic.”

The younger mobian hid his face in his hands.

“How could it go so wrong…”

_How can I not feel guilt, when I see how much it kills you to be close to me? Don’t you regret your decision sometimes, Sonic?_

A sigh left the demigod. 

“Honey…”

Tan muzzle connected with the soft, blue fur on the other’s temple

“It will be okay. I am still a demigod, remember? I will keep you safe, I promise. I trained with Infinite, I know his weak points.” He held his lover close, hoping to offer some comfort, “I will not let him lay a finger on you.”

“Hey now, who said I am some kind of swooning, helpless bachelor in distress? You’re talking to one of the best cops on Christmas Island. I can look out for myself. It’s just that I have never arrested a demigod that wielded some odd magic powers, that’s all.”

Sonic pointed a finger to Shadow’s chest, a daring smirk on his face.

_How alluring._

“If anything, sit back and let a _professional_ handle it. Seven years of experience speaks for itself, thank you very much.”

Shadow smiled back, and for a moment, they just stayed like this. Staring each other down. Challenging, testing limits.

“We will see about that.”

There was a brief peck on Shadow’s lips before Sonic pulled away. 

“Go book the plane tickets, slowpoke. I’ll start packing, join me when you’re done.”

Twenty minutes later, Sonic stared at the clock in his room with irritation. Has it really only been twenty minutes?! His bag was only halfway packed, too. But tearing through the mess in his room felt like eternity.

“This is one of the most boring tasks ever… This set of socks and gloves could last me for about a month. Tomatopotamus cartridge and the portable console, check. Flash comics collection, check. A…” his words died down when he reached out to grab the photography that laid on his drawer. “...Picture of me and my beloved younger brother?”

He stared at it for a moment, unsure what exactly to do with it. Eventually, he laid the item in between the layers of cloth that laid in his bag gently.

“Check. For good luck.”

There was a knock on his door and soon after the sound, Shadow came into his room. 

“I have booked the tickets for tomorrow evening.”

“Perfect. Thank you, babe.” Sonic said with a smile, admiring the way Shadow’s cheeks tinted with a darker shade. The ebony hedgehog looked away bashfully in such a cute way, too. While he wished Shadow would eventually get used to the compliments, and perhaps take them a little bit more for granted, even, his shy behavior was adorable to witness as well.

“It is nothing. Anyway, I came to help you with packing,” Shadow looked around the room, not surprised to find Sonic’s belongings forcing their way out of the drawers, “Seems like you need it.”

“Ha ha. Are you going to keep spreading witty remarks or will you actually get to it?” Sonic pouted and crossed his arms. Shadow chuckled at his lover’s behavior.

“On it.”

An hour later, both hedgehogs’ luggages were packed and ready for tomorrow’s trip.

“Look at my room,” Sonic gestured for the other to peek to the room across the hallway, “it looks deserted.”

“No, Sonic. it looks _neat_. That is what happens when you take clothing from the floor, fold it, and place it in wardrobes.” Shadow replied, recalling the recent events with a tired sigh, “Why do you need so many pyjamas anyway?”

“They’re comfy! I like chillin’ in pajamas when I’m tired after work, you know that. It’s not like you moved in yesterday,” the blue hedgehog crossed his arms.

“I do know that,” _and I think it is quite adorable,_ “But I still do not see why a hedgehog would need twenty pyjamas, especially if you do not even sleep in them.”

“Because I can and because nightgowns make me feel fabulous, shush. Can’t believe I’m lectured by someone who owns, like, four boxes of camera lenses.”

That fact still made Sonic smile. Briefly, he recalled the day in which Shadow’s moving boxes arrived on Christmas Island. Silver was eager to help, given their psychokinetic powers, but even they were puzzled when most of the time, Shadow just instructed them saying ‘this box has lenses, please take it to the office.’

“I need each and every single one of them.”

“Well then, here’s your answer,” Sonic said and poked out his tongue.

He was not prepared for Shadow to lean in so close, however; he did not even realize he was taking steps backwards until his back collided with the wall.

“Playing cocky, are we?” The dark hedgehog murmured playfully.

“Damn right I am. What did you expect, Shads?” The blue hedgehog replied with a smirk. “If you want someone calm and obedient, you chose the wrong hedgehog.”

When their lips connected, they were rough and needy. Sonic hummed in appreciation, capturing Shadow’s lower lip with his teeth. As amazing as gentle and featherlike touches felt, both hedgehogs appreciated a little tumble every now and then. 

Raking fingers through Shadow’s fur felt like touching stars; each and every kiss made Sonic feel like he was sinking deeper and deeper under. And bit by bit, he was taking Shadow with him… though he did not even know where to.

He was brought back to the surface, because eventually, they needed to breathe. How truly unfair. _Does nothing good ever last?_

The joy Sonic felt at holding Shadow’s face in his hands made him want to take that thought back.

They stayed like this for a moment, eyes closed, foreheads resting against one another. Breathing in the current that they lived in, breathing out the last bits of lust.

“I believe in us, Shadow.”

This time, it was Sonic who leaned in for yet another kiss.

_I’m not afraid._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we go! A little bit more insight on Infinite. Figured it was only fair, the first story had very scarce amounts of him 🤔 what are your thoughts on him? Do you think there is more to this situation than meets the eye?  
> I am thinking of dedicated one of the chapters to Infinite, but we’ll see how it goes.
> 
> Also! Me and a friend of mine made a Sonadow server. If you wanna goof around with more writers and artists, or just simply observe the stuff we post there, go ahead! We'd love to have you :D  
> https://discord.gg/tpgzHGwqX6
> 
> Peace!


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